Can't see the forest from the trees. That is an old saying, the origination of which is up for debate. Put simply, it means that you lose sight of the larger situation when you focus on small details. Just like when you're in the middle of a forest, all you can see are the trees and not the forest you are surrounded by. But, if you could see the forest (the "big picture", that is), then you would have a deeper understanding of where you are at.
I begin my blog with this thought because as a practicing family law attorney, I too often see people losing touch with the "big picture" because they are focused on the small details. For example, sometimes it would make more sense to settle your divorce, move on, find another partner or spouse (or not). But, at the very least, search for happiness somewhere it can be found. Instead, parties in a divorce get caught in the trap of occupying themselves with minutia, the small details. They may fight over valueless bits of property and in the process expend much more money in attorney fees and litigation costs.
The "big picture" is really about life, your life. A divorce is understandably a sad, tragic, emotional period of time. You are parting with the one other person in this world that you promised to spend the rest of your life with, through good times and bad. But, it just didn't work. The reason doesn't matter, in law or in life. It just is time to find yourself in a different life and give yourself a chance to be happy again. It's not easy, but this realization can save a party to a divorce further headaches, turmoil, and a delayed start to once again finding happiness.
I hope to provide in this blog some relevant information about family law and, in the process, also my observations on human relations and ways of trying to see the forest while in the trees.
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